Chapter Summaries

Menma challenged Naruto’s belief in justice and mutual understanding, arguing that peace depended on strength rather than words. Naruto invoked Hashirama Senju as proof that peace was possible, but Menma argued that Hashirama’s peace relied on his overwhelming power and collapsed after his death, leaving Naruto shaken and without an answer.

• Menma asked Naruto whether he believed Menma should have surrendered when enemies attacked him and the Village of Light, leaving Naruto unable to defend his ideals.
• Menma argued that sparing enemies only encouraged them to return, and reminded Naruto that Naruto himself had repeatedly caused trouble despite Menma sparing him.
• Naruto appealed to Hashirama Senju’s achievement of peace, but Menma questioned whether Hashirama could have achieved it without his immense strength.
• Menma argued that Hashirama’s power had deterred the other nations and that the First Great Ninja War began after Hashirama died, making his peace temporary.
• Naruto admitted that the war began after Hashirama’s death, while Menma concluded that the same world structure would lead to war again after Naruto’s death.

Menma dismantled Naruto’s arguments for mutual understanding and defended unifying the Shinobi World as a practical path to peace. Minato questioned Menma about governing nations after unification and ended by asking how Menma would treat people from other villages, especially those who had bullied him.

• Menma argued that Naruto’s ideal of mutual understanding could not overcome hatred and that the First Hokage’s failure to unify the Shinobi World had allowed later wars.
• Menma defended unification by comparing it to the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan joining forces to found Konohagakure, and he dismissed Mount Myōboku’s prophecy.
• Naruto failed to answer Menma’s arguments, while Minato felt reassured that Menma’s plans came from careful thought rather than hatred.
• Minato asked how Menma would handle daimyō and nobles, and Menma proposed a World Conference, a unified nation, and a Parliament, replacing leaders who refused to cooperate.
• Minato asked how Menma would treat people from other ninja villages, particularly those who had bullied him.

Menma laid out his terms for the coming war and warned Naruto not to interfere, then restrained him to keep him confined in the village. Minato and Kushina agreed to watch Naruto while Menma prepared to proceed with his plans.

• Menma said he would spare most people who surrendered, including Konoha's residents, but would show no mercy to those who kept resisting; he named Koharu and Homura as exceptions and said Tsunade could also be spared if she complied.
• Menma told Naruto he would not tolerate another attempt to interfere and ordered Muku and Suigetsu to guard him in the village.
• Menma bound Naruto with Adamantine Sealing Chains and fitted him with five Chakra-restraining rings.
• Kushina and Minato supported Menma's decision and promised to keep Naruto under watch while the coming war took priority.
• Menma told Naruto he would prove that Naruto's methods were naive and that only he could achieve true peace.

Menma left his parents to prepare for war as Sasuke and Itachi's battle reached its climax. Sasuke defeated Itachi's Susanoo but spared him at the last moment, leaving Itachi bewildered.

• Menma entrusted Naruto's issue to Minato and Kushina, then left to prepare for the Village of Light's war against the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Sasuke and Itachi fought fiercely, with Sasuke using his Mangekyō Sharingan to withstand Itachi's Genjutsu and pressure his worsening condition.
• Sasuke summoned Kirin from the storm clouds, and Itachi endured the lightning strike with his third-form Susanoo.
• Sasuke's Susanoo broke through Itachi's defense, but Sasuke struck him with a punch instead of killing him.
• Itachi realized Sasuke had deliberately held back, thwarting his plan to die in their battle.

Sasuke confronted Itachi with the truth about the Uchiha massacre and refused to let him atone by dying. After knocking Itachi unconscious, Sasuke prepared to leave with him while declaring his intention to destroy Konoha.

• Sasuke recognized that Itachi had deliberately stopped resisting and demanded that he admit the truth about the massacre.
• Itachi confessed that the clan's destruction was his sin and asked Sasuke to kill him, while refusing to reveal Konoha's role.
• Sasuke declared that he would attack Konoha after dealing with Itachi and rejected Itachi's plea to stay neutral and avoid Menma.
• Sasuke vowed to keep Itachi alive and make him atone, then knocked him unconscious when he tried to object.
• Toneri appeared and asked whether Sasuke was finished; Sasuke said they could leave with Itachi.
• Kisame arrived, saw that Itachi was alive, and departed without stopping Sasuke.

Toneri and Sasuke returned to the Village of Light after Sasuke defeated Itachi, while White Zetsu observed and reported the outcome. As Konoha and the Village of Light prepared their forces, Hashirama and Tobirama led Konoha toward the negotiations, and Menma completed his own deployment for the coming confrontation.

• Toneri spared Kisame and left with Sasuke, who carried Itachi, for the Village of Light.
• White Zetsu emerged from hiding, saw Sasuke had defeated Itachi, and went to report the battle to Madara.
• Tobirama insisted that Konoha prepare for war as well as negotiations, and Hashirama agreed to follow his plan.
• Hashirama and Tobirama led Konoha's assembled force out of the village toward the Valley of the End.
• Menma prepared the Light Ninjas for battle and left Suigetsu, Shibuki, Mui, and at least a third of the force behind to guard the prisoners.

Menma prepared the Village of Light’s forces for war while discussing Sasuke’s unresolved feelings toward Itachi. After Toneri and Sasuke returned with the injured Itachi, Itachi woke in the Village of Light and recognized Menma.

• Menma sent the Light Ninja army toward the front lines and trusted Shikaku to keep the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans aligned with his plans.
• Toneri and Sasuke returned with the unconscious Itachi, and Toneri said their opponents had not interfered with their mission.
• Menma asked Sasuke how he would deal with Itachi, and Sasuke reluctantly agreed that Itachi should bear responsibility for revitalizing the Uchiha Clan.
• Itachi woke in the Village of Light, recognized Menma, and heard Menma acknowledge the difficult choice he had made in the past.

Menma and Minato urged Itachi to face responsibility instead of treating death as atonement, and Itachi accepted that Sasuke should decide his punishment. Itachi gave Sasuke his eyes, which Menma stabilized him after removing, while Menma recognized that Itachi’s frail body had been damaged by years of overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Menma warned Itachi that suicide would evade responsibility and told him to let Sasuke decide his punishment.
• Minato arrived and urged Itachi to bear the consequences of his actions rather than seek death.
• Itachi told Sasuke he would accept any punishment and forcibly removed both eyes for him.
• Menma used healing ninjutsu to stop Itachi’s bleeding, and Sasuke warned him not to manipulate or kill himself.
• Itachi agreed to trust Sasuke, while Menma identified Itachi’s frail constitution and Mangekyō overuse as the cause of his declining health.

Menma persuaded Sasuke to accept Itachi's eyes and prepare for surgery, then revealed that he knew Obito Uchiha had caused the Nine-Tails' Rampage and suspected someone had manipulated him. Minato, Itachi, and the others were shocked as Menma's revelation left them wondering who stood behind Obito.

• Menma stabilized Itachi and urged Sasuke to take Itachi's eyes, and Sasuke accepted them while insisting Itachi live to atone for his crimes.
• Sasuke offered to join Menma at the front lines, but Menma told him to rest and prepare for the surgery because greater enemies awaited them.
• Itachi and Minato separately tried to tell Menma about the Akatsuki Organization and the chaos fifteen years earlier, but Menma said he already knew the mastermind's identity.
• Menma named Obito Uchiha as the man who attacked Kushina during childbirth and declared that he would kill him.
• Menma said he also had guesses about the person behind Obito, shocking Minato, Itachi, Sasuke, Toneri, and Shikaku.

Menma identified Madara Uchiha as the power behind Obito, and Itachi confirmed that Madara was alive and appeared to be in his prime. After Itachi revealed the Akatsuki Organization’s plans and members, Menma assured the others that he and Toneri could confront Madara.

• Menma explained why he suspected Madara Uchiha was behind Obito and asked Itachi to confirm his deduction.
• Itachi confirmed that Madara was alive, had a youthful appearance, and possessed overwhelming ocular power and Chakra.
• Shikaku urged Menma to warn Konohagakure and prepare carefully for Madara and the Akatsuki Organization.
• Itachi disclosed the Akatsuki Organization’s structure, its plan to capture the Tailed Beasts, and Pain’s possession of the Rinnegan.
• Minato urged caution, but Menma said he and Toneri could face any enemy, including Madara Uchiha.

Menma revealed Toneri’s Tenseigan and set out with him and Shikaku to confront Hashirama’s forces at the Valley of the End. Madara and Black Zetsu watched from a nearby peak while their forces prepared to capture the remaining Jinchuriki in the Village of Light.

• Toneri displayed his Tenseigan, shocking Sasuke, Itachi, and Minato, and Menma explained that the eyes could rival the Rinnegan.
• Menma assigned Shikaku to persuade Konohagakure’s ninja clans to surrender and told Minato and Sasuke to remain in the Village of Light.
• Menma, Toneri, and Shikaku headed east toward the Valley of the End as Minato, Sasuke, and Itachi returned to the village.
• Madara, Obito, and Black Zetsu arrived at a mountain overlooking the Valley of the End, where Madara planned to challenge whoever won the coming battle.
• Black Zetsu told Madara that Kisame and Sasori would capture the remaining Jinchuriki, supported by more than ten thousand White Zetsu.

Madara Uchiha sent Obito to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts while he prepared to confront Menma and Hashirama at the Valley of the End. Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen arrived to meet Menma, whose forces halted nearby as both sides prepared for their encounter.

• Madara Uchiha ordered Obito to capture the Tailed Beasts and vowed that no one would stop the Moon Eye Plan; Obito agreed and departed, followed by Black Zetsu and Madara.
• Tobirama instructed Tsunade to establish camp and wait for a signal, while Hashirama warned her not to act without one.
• Hiruzen asked to accompany Hashirama and Tobirama so he could apologize to Menma, and Tobirama agreed.
• Shikamaru watched the Hokage depart and vowed to avenge his father.
• Menma sensed Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen near the Valley of the End, then ordered his forces to halt and summoned his father and Shikaku.

Menma halted the Light Ninja’s advance and entrusted Mui and Shikaku with the main force while he and Toneri went ahead to meet Konoha’s army. At the Valley of the End, Hashirama and Tobirama sensed the two approaching and prepared for their arrival.

• Menma explained how the Light Ninja’s aerial patrols and Chakra-detecting radar strengthened the Village of Light’s defenses and earned him the people’s support.
• Menma ordered Mui and Shikaku to command the main force, capture Konoha’s soldiers alive if possible, and avoid a major battle.
• Shikaku accepted Menma’s trust and resolved to prevent his clansmen and other comrades from dying needlessly.
• Menma and Toneri departed for the Valley of the End, leaving Mui and Shikaku with the army.
• Hashirama admired the statues at the Valley of the End while Tobirama recounted how the site had been shaped and commemorated.
• Hashirama sensed Menma and Toneri approaching, and Tobirama wondered whether their arrival with only two people showed sincerity or confidence.

Menma met Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen to negotiate an end to the looming war, but demanded Konohagakure's unconditional surrender. Hashirama and Tobirama rejected the demand and proposed compensation and concessions instead, leaving the negotiations at an impasse.

• Tobirama worried about Menma's strength as Menma and Toneri approached with only two chakra signatures.
• Menma and Toneri arrived, and Menma greeted Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen politely.
• Tobirama asked what Konoha had to give to stop the Village of Light's march toward war, and Menma demanded unconditional surrender.
• Hashirama and Tobirama objected, with Hashirama offering compensation, recognition for the Village of Light, and the return of captured ninja and Tailed Beasts.

Menma rejected Hashirama’s plea to end the war through compromise and demanded Konoha’s unconditional surrender or continued fighting. Hashirama refused to abandon Konoha, and Menma and Toneri began battling the reanimated Hokage, leaving Hashirama facing Menma as Toneri attacked Tobirama and Hiruzen.

• Menma mocked Hashirama and Hiruzen’s appeals for peace, accused Konoha of hypocrisy, and said Konoha would cease to exist while its people would otherwise be spared.
• Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen rejected Menma’s ultimatum, and Hashirama declared that he would not let Menma destroy Konoha.
• Hashirama entered Sage Mode and summoned a Sage Art Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu as Menma gathered Sage energy and charged him.
• Menma pierced Hashirama’s wooden dragon with Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu, forcing Hashirama to evade.
• Toneri activated his Tenseigan and fired green beams at Tobirama and Hiruzen, blasting apart part of the Hashirama statue beneath them.

Toneri’s Tenseigan powers forced Tobirama and Sarutobi Hiruzen to fight defensively, though their teamwork briefly kept him occupied. Above them, Hashirama’s Sage-enhanced Wood Release failed against Menma’s golden Chakra sword and scarlet flames, leaving Hashirama at a disadvantage.

• Toneri’s Laser Beams grazed Tobirama and revealed that they could damage Reanimation Bodies, prompting Tobirama to warn Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Enma as the Adamantine Nyoi-bo and struck at Toneri, but Toneri’s Tenseigan-powered hurricane swept Hiruzen into the pool.
• Tobirama used Water Style to cover Hiruzen as they coordinated attacks against Toneri’s Truth-Seeking Orb barrier.
• Toneri grew enraged and unleashed a more powerful gale while Tobirama and Hiruzen prepared to hold him back from interfering in Menma and Hashirama’s battle.
• Hashirama used Sage Art—Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, but Menma cut through the wood with his golden Chakra sword and consumed it with scarlet flames.

Menma and Kurama overwhelmed Hashirama’s Wood Release with a combined attack, forcing Hashirama to bring out the True Several Thousand Hands. The chapter ended with their amplified beam breaking through its defenses and blasting through the clouds.

• Menma used his Golden Wheel Sword and Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu to destroy Hashirama’s Wood Clones and overcome his Wood Release.
• Hashirama summoned Sage Art—Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands after realizing his ordinary techniques could not stop Menma.
• Menma called on Kurama, who manifested as a giant nine-tailed fox beside the Senju Kannon.
• Menma and Kurama fired a powerful crimson beam at Hashirama, who tried to block it with the Kannon’s wooden arms and the Gates of the Great God.
• Menma’s Spiral Flame Ring destroyed Hashirama’s gates, and the beam broke through the Kannon’s defenses, narrowly missing Hashirama before piercing the clouds.

Konohagakure and the Village of Light began a fierce battle while Menma and Hashirama fought separately. As the Konoha forces struggled against the Light Ninja’s tailed beasts and superior equipment, Shikaku revealed himself alive and ordered the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi ninja to withdraw.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen signaled the start of the battle, and Tsunade ordered the Konohagakure forces to advance around the Valley of the End.
• Mui and Shikaku led the Village of Light’s five Aerial Fortresses into battle, while Mui and Muku transformed and launched the opening assault.
• Konoha’s Earth Release users blocked most of the laser blasts, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo engaged Mui, Muku, Fū, and Utakata as the armies clashed.
• Shikaku announced that the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi ninja must withdraw, revealing himself alive and shocking Shikamaru, Suzaku, and the Konoha forces.

Shikaku Nara appeared on the Village of Light’s side and urged the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans to withdraw, throwing Konohagakure’s battlefield into turmoil. At the Valley of the End, Menma overwhelmed Hashirama Senju and left him facing surrender as his only apparent choice.

• Shikaku Nara’s appearance and withdrawal order left the three clans unsure whether to obey him or continue fighting for Konohagakure.
• Mitokado Homura called Shikaku an impostor and ordered the Hokage’s Direct Anbu to attack him, while Shikamaru and Suzaku rushed to protect him.
• Menma used the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion Technique and the Nine-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball Cannon to destroy Hashirama’s True Several Thousand Hands.
• Menma argued that his victory could bring lasting peace and reminded Hashirama that Konoha had suffered through three Shinobi World Wars.
• Hashirama could find no answer to Menma’s arguments or a way to defeat him, and realized surrender was his only apparent way out.

Menma defeated Hashirama and persuaded him to surrender Konohagakure, promising a peaceful world without war. As Tobirama and Hiruzen went to announce the surrender, Madara watched from afar and realized he could not defeat Menma and Toneri.

• Hashirama questioned whether Menma’s methods could bring lasting peace, and Menma described his goal of a world where children were educated, the elderly were cared for, and war had ended.
• Hashirama accepted defeat and ordered Konohagakure to surrender unconditionally to spare its people further casualties.
• Menma withdrew his Chakra, and Toneri, Tobirama, and Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped fighting.
• Hashirama told Tobirama and Hiruzen to announce the surrender to Tsunade, and Tobirama took Hiruzen away.
• Madara watched the battle from a distant mountain and concluded that he could not defeat Menma and Toneri, even if he gave everything.